1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fabrication of a photovoltaic solar cell having integrally formed interconnects for series or parallel connection with other solar cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
Arrays which may include hundreds or thousands of solar cells are used to provide electrical power for a variety of applications. Solar cell interconnection tabs, or interconnects, conduct the electrical current from one cell to another in series strings, and may also interconnect cells in parallel groups. A detailed presentation of electrical interconnections for solar cells is found in a book entitled "SOLAR CELL ARRAY DESIGN HANDBOOK", Volume 1, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, October 1976, pp. 5.0-1 to 5.3-13.
Interconnects are conventionally manufactured by punching or etching metal strips or sheets to the desired configuration. They are traditionally less than 0.05 mm thick, and are attached to the solar cells using an extremely time consuming manual soldering or welding process. Alternatively, an elaborate and expensive automated process may be used. In addition to being highly labor intensive, welding or soldering the delicate interconnects to the solar cells is a high risk procedure, which can result in frequent breakage of the expensive solar cells and a high rate of attrition in the fabrication process.